This ham with herb cream sauce will delight your family at dinner. This recipe is a great way to use up leftover ham. This sauce has cream; if you prefer, you can use yogurt. If you use yogurt, use the full-fat Greek style. The herbs I used in this recipe are rosemary and caraway seeds. Their combination works well together, creating a wonderful profile with the minced shallot. This recipe in France is known as Saupiquet De Jambon.
What is Saupiquet De Jambon?
Jambon = ham
Saupiquet = French word for a flavorful sauce, usually from the region of Burgundy.
Combined = Ham with a flavorful herb cream sauce.
History of Saupquet De Jambon.
Saupiquet de jambon is a traditional ham dish from central-eastern France, especially the Morvan and Amognes areas of the Nièvre department in historic Burgundy. Today it is part of the Bourgogne–Franche-Comté region. This area is known for its fine cattle cream and cheese. Its name comes from saupiquet, an old medieval term for a sharp, strongly seasoned sauce, probably related to sauce piquante. Originally, one of the major spices is juniper berries. Earlier saupiquets used acidic ingredients such as wine, vinegar, or verjus, thickened with bread and served with game. In the 16th century, cooks used this recipe with local bone-in ham.
Today, saupiquet de jambon is classic French country cooking or comfort food: slices of ham are pan-fried and coated in a creamy, tangy sauce usually made with shallots, vinegar, cream, and sometimes white wine, mushrooms, tomatoes, or peas. Saulieu, in Côte-d’Or, and the Amognes countryside south of Nevers are particularly associated with the dish.
This recipe uses white wine. The first rule about cooking with wine is: cook with a wine you enjoy drinking. You now have a wine that pairs with this dish. I typically enjoy a slightly sweet white wine. You can use a dry white wine, if it suits you. No problem. Examples of sweet white wines include; chardonnay, Moscato, Chenin Blanc, Pino Grigio, gewurtzraminer. I understand this also depends upon the winery. If you’re not sure, ask someone at your local liquor store.
This pairs well with biscuits; a biscuit recipe can be found here.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In one sauce pan add vinegar, shallot, and herbs. Bring to a boil.
- Simmer until most of the liquid is gone.
- Add chicken or vegetable stock and wine, and bring to a boil. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a second heavy bottomed sauce pan add 4 tablespoon butter and melt over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoon flour and cook for a couple of minutes.
- In the butter flour mix add wine and chicken stock slowly and bring to a slow simmer. Mix well.
- After all of the wine and chicken stock has been added, remove from heat. Add cream/yogurt and stir until completely incorporated. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven at 300 degrees F.
- Remove the bone and cut ham into pieces which will fit into the baking pan.
- Place the ham in baking pan and place into the oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove ham from oven and put onto plate and cover with sauce and serve. Bon Appetite!
